


I Don't Like Coffee (But I Do Like the Barista)

by iamthatmonster



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-23
Updated: 2014-08-23
Packaged: 2018-02-14 08:02:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2184078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamthatmonster/pseuds/iamthatmonster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On a random college off day, Barbara decides to drag Gavin around with her. Their first stop is a coffee shop, and Gavin accidentally falls for the barista.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Don't Like Coffee (But I Do Like the Barista)

The day they first met was a Monday.

Gavin had been hoping to use his free day to sleep in, but at seven there was a knock on his door. College hadn't exactly been kind to him, and despite the fact that he was wide awake, he considered not answering the door out of pure annoyance.

However, just as he had made that decision, the insistence of the knocking increased. A groan escaped Gavin's lips as he pushed a pillow over his head, a desperate attempt to block out the noise. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain, and the person responsible didn't let up.

"Damnit," he muttered under his breath, pushing the blankets off the bed as he got to his feet. He didn't even bother to change out of his pajamas, figuring that it wouldn't be worth it in the long run. After what seemed like forever, he had made his way to the front door of his dorm room. The tapping still hadn't stopped.

It was times like these where he was glad he didn't have a roommate.

He flung the door open a moment later, and wasn't the slightest bit surprised by who he saw. Barbara, whom he had met on his first day in his first class, was standing there, a bright smile on her face. Gavin considered her his best friend, and he was sure she felt the same about him.

Despite all that, there was no way in hell he wanted to see her this early in the morning, especially not uninvited.

"Barbara, what the fuck," he groaned, running a hand through his messy hair. "Why are you here so bloody early? You know I like my sleep."

Shrugging her shoulders, Barbara pushed past Gavin and into the room. "I was going to take advantage of my free day by going out. Just running around and shopping and stuff. I'm taking you with me."

Gavin didn't even make an attempt to hold back the noise of displeasure he made at her words. "I was sleeping," he said, putting special emphasis on the final word, "and you think I want to go shopping with you?"

Again, Barbara shrugged, the look on her face that of pure amusement. "Well you're up now, so you might as well." Narrowing his eyes, Gavin tried his very hardest to be upset. However, after several moments he gave up, and a bit of smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

"You're horrible."

"Yeah, I know. Now get fucking ready, we don't have all day."

Rolling his eyes, Gavin turned to his bedroom, beginning to walk away. "Actually we do," he called over his shoulder, and he heard Barbara laugh before replying.

"Not with all the shit I have planned."

Intrigued as he was, Gavin sighed. This was going to be a long day, and sadly it wasn't going to be spent in bed.

\--------------

"Come on, Gavin," Barbara insisted, standing at the door to the passenger seat where Gavin was sitting. She kicked him slightly in the thigh, causing him to jump at the suddenness, hitting his head on the ceiling in the process.

"I don't even like coffee, Barbara," he whined, rubbing at his head. "Can't I just wait here?"

"Nope, you're coming with me. If I let you stay out here, you'll fucking fall asleep."

Gavin's wanted to argue, but he knew she was right. If he was being honest, that was why he had made the request in the first place. He was pretty sure that Barbara would have woken him up upon her return, but that would have been a few extra minutes that he hadn't had before.

"Fine," he muttered, exiting the vehicle and slamming the door behind him, "but don't expect me to enjoy it."

Barbara shook her head, a bit of a smile still plastered across her face. "You're impossible."

"Your face is impossible."

A moment later Barbara was bursting into laughter, opening the door to her usual cafe and walking inside. "Solid joke."

"Thanks," Gavin replied sarcastically, and Barbara ignored him. As Barbara walked towards the counter to place her order, Gavin followed, though his eyes scanned the room as he did so. It was small, and they were the only ones there besides the employees.

Then he was being pulled from his thoughts by another man's voice. "Hey Barbara," he said, his voice surprisingly loud for the environment. "Who's your friend?"

"Michael, be nice," Barbara replied, a grin on her face. "This is my friend Gavin." Then she was turning to Gavin, gesturing towards the man behind the counter, whose eyes were now beginning to scan Gavin's body. "Gavin, this is Michael."

At the words, Michael's head snapped up, his cheeks slightly red as he stuck out a hand. "Nice to meet you." Gavin took the other man's hand, a curious look on his face.

"Nice to meet you too," he said slowly, beginning to observe Michael's face before finally averting his eyes.

For a moment, there was a silence that no one seemed willing to break. But then Michael was speaking up again, shaking his head as if to clear it. Then he was turning to Barbara once more, a small smile playing at his lips. "I'm assuming you'll have your regular."

"You assumed correctly."

Looking at Gavin once more, Michael raised an eyebrow. "And would you like anything today?"

The question took Gavin completely off guard, despite its being completely normal in the situation. Then Gavin was stammering out his response, working his very hardest to hold back a blush that was threatening to overtake him. "Yeah, I'll have a coffee. Like- I mean- of course I'll have a coffee, but I'll have a regular coffee. Black. A bloody large or something."

Immediately, Barbara was spinning to face him, a look of confusion on her face. Gavin shot her a warning glance, and then her confusion was being replaced with a smirk. When Gavin looked at Michael once more, he looked just as confused as Barbara had, his eyes flicking back and forth between them before he finally gave up.

With a shrug, he turned back to the register, ringing up their order and holding out the receipt. "So will you be paying today?" He asked, his eyes practically drilling into Gavin's own. Squirming uncomfortably, Gavin glanced at Barbara, practically begging her to take over with his expression. She did so without question.

"Nah, fuck that," she exclaimed, snatching the piece of paper from Michael's hands, "I'm paying."

"You're not going to let your boyfriend pay for your date?" He questioned, and it almost felt as if he was probing for information. However, before Gavin had a chance to speak, Barbara was doing it for him, exploding into a fit of giggles.

"Gavin- Gavin's not my boyfriend," she gasped, when she had finally regained herself. "I never said that. We're just friends." Gavin nodded in affirmation, quickly bringing his attention back to Michael.

"Really?" Michael asked, biting his lip the slightest bit as he ran his eyes over Gavin's face once more. "Huh. Okay then, my bad." While he had been speaking, Michael had been getting their drinks together, and he proceeded to hold them out.

Barbara took hers almost immediately, and Gavin followed soon afterwards, making sure to purposely brush his fingers against Michael's when he did so. As soon as the contact had occurred, Michael's body tensed, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. He forced a smile as he pulled away, and Gavin smiled back.

"H-have a good day," Michael said, choking up slightly on the first word.

"You too," Barbara replied brightly, gesturing for Gavin to follow her as she exited the building. The moment the door had closed behind them, she was speaking. "Oh my god," she exclaimed, practically bouncing in place as they continued to walk.

"What?" Gavin asked, trying his hardest to play innocent for as long as possible. However, with the expression that was currently plastered across the girl's face, Gavin wasn't expecting to be able to pull it off for long.

"Someone likes the barista," she teased, shoving her shoulder into Gavin's as she grinned. "My god, aren't you glad I forced you to come in now?"

"I don't like-"

"Oh please," Barbara cut him off, rolling her eyes. "Don't try to slip that one past me." She paused, gesturing towards the coffee that Gavin was still holding. "You don't even like coffee, but you ordered one. And were a stammering mess while you did it, I should add."

"Okay fine, maybe I like him a little," Gavin said after a long minute. He buckled himself into the passenger seat once more, and Barbara's grin grew wider still as she fastened her own seat belt.

"I don't know," she said slowly, and Gavin braced himself for what was sure to follow. "You look like you like him a latte." She emphasized the last word, a proud look replacing her grin. Gavin groaned, but couldn't help himself from laughing.

"You're ridiculous."

"Your face is ridiculous."

\---------------

He would never admit it to Barbara, but Gavin went back to the cafe the next day.

Walking through the front door had been the most difficult part, and he had taken several deep breaths before he had done so.

Talking to attractive people had never come naturally to him.

When he looked back on it later, Gavin found it kind of funny. There was always the possibility that Michael wouldn't have even been there, and he would have gotten himself all worked up over nothing.

As it turned out though, that wasn't something he needed to worry about either, as Michael had been there. At first, there was no unexpected reaction from the other man, just a simple glance and a obligatory greeting. But then Michael did a double take, his eyes scanned Gavin's face.

"Gavin?" Michael asked, his tone curious. "Wow, fuck. I didn't think I'd ever see you again. Barbara fucking dragged you in here, from the looks of it."

Giving a shrug of his shoulders, Gavin worked to fight back the blush threatening to color his cheeks. "The coffee was good. The- the service was good too."

Licking his lips, Michael once more studied Gavin's expression. Then he was shaking his head, a grin replacing his confusion. "I'm gonna take that as a compliment and say thank you. What do you want today? Do you want the same thing or would you like to try something different?"

"No, no. The same thing would be fine. Just- just a coffee. Black."

Michael laughed, but the sound wasn't quite what Gavin had been expecting. It was almost a giggle, and Gavin found it absolutely adorable. "I remember what you ordered Gav- can I call you Gav?" He paused for a moment, but was continuing before Gavin even had a chance to reply. "Don't know if you could tell, but this little place isn't exactly the most popular. Makes enough to stay running, but that's about it. I remember most people's orders. Especially ones made by attractive strangers."

Gavin scratched at the back of his neck, certain that his face was already starting to turn red. "Well I- I just wanted to make sure-"

"Don't worry about it," Michael cut him off, handing him a cup a moment later. For a moment, the two only stared at each other, and Gavin turned to walk away. He hadn't even made it a few feet before he heard Michael calling after him.

"Should I expect to see you tomorrow?"

If Gavin's face hadn't been red before, it certainly was then, and he refused to stand in a way that would allow Michael to see his face.

"Absolutely."

\------------

Gavin kept to his word, returning to the cafe the next day.

In fact, he continued to frequent the shop for the next few weeks, coming almost every day and increasing his flirting towards Michael each time. As soon as he left, he would dispose of the coffee as soon as possible, never taking a drink.

He was sure he would have continued in that manner if it hadn't have been for one particular Friday. The coffee he had ordered was a bit more complex than his past requests, its sole purpose to give him more time to talk to Michael.

As Michael began to prepare the drink- talking at the same time- Gavin found himself staring instead. It was impressive to him, the way Michael was able to put together something so complex so effortlessly, all while holding a conversation.

The fact that he hadn't been listening only occurred to him when Michael's sharp voice cut through his thoughts. "Gavin, you fuck. You've not listened to a goddamn thing I've said."

Blinking several times in surprise, Gavin locked eyes with the other man. "Sorry love, my bad. What did you say?"

"I said that you have to fucking let me see you try this. It's my goddamn specialty, and I want to know that you like it." His eyes ran over Gavin's face, a bit of a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips. Gavin tried his hardest not to appear hesitant.

"I don't know Michael, I'm sort of in a hurry-"

"Bullshit. This is the first I've heard of this 'hurry' you speak of. I fucking know what you're like when you're in a rush, and this isn't it."

Swallowing heavily, Gavin averted his eyes. "I-"

"You don't like coffee."

Gavin's eyes grew wide as he once more focused on Michael, a look of pure confusion on his face. "How did you know that?"

"Barbara told me. First fucking day you came in by yourself. I mentioned you came around, and you can imagine where it went from there." His expression was that of amusement, which only increased Gavin's confusion.

"Then why didn't you-"

"Why didn't I tell you?" Michael cut him off once more, the amusement manifesting into a grin. "Dunno. Wanted to see how long it'd take you to tell me the real reason you kept coming back."

"So you know?"

"Know that you like me? Fuck yeah, I know. I've known since the first goddamn day I met you. Felt the same way about you. Thought you were sexy as hell."

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

"Why didn't you?" The look he shot Gavin was challenging, and Gavin shrugged, averting his eyes once more.

"Don't know. You were cute and intimidating, that's about it."

Michael giggled, a sound that Gavin had come to know and love. As soon as the noise had passed the other man's lips, Gavin couldn't help himself from turning to look at him, smiling slightly himself.

"I'll tell you what," Michael said after a minute had passed. "You give me your phone, I'll give you my number. Like, I'll put my fucking number in. Not I'll trade your phone for my number. Then you can call me. Sound good?"

Despite the confidence that Michael tried to portray, Gavin recognized the stumble in his words. However, he didn't mention it, knowing that he himself had done the same thing countless times. "Sounds good," he replied, pulling his phone out of his pocket and handing it to Michael.

The other man smiled, quickly entering his number and handing it back to Gavin. Then he was looking down at the iced coffee on the counter, an amused look on his face.

"Also, since you're not gonna drink this, you might as well just buy it for me. I fucking love these things."

Gavin laughed, rolling his eyes as he handed the money to Michael. He wasn't sure what he was getting himself into, but he did know that he wouldn't trade it for the world.


End file.
